Features

Because of the tough economy – with rising gas and grocery prices – one local church has made it a mission to make meals more affordable for struggling families in the Lancaster area.
New Horizon Community Church, in conjunction with food marketing company Supreme Sales and Marketing LLC of Braselton, Ga., has launched a new food box program offering groceries at a discount, as a helping hand for those in need.

Lancaster Women’s Club
The Lancaster Women’s Club will sponsor Jam’n for a Cure from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. March 23 at Famdamily’s Restaurant and Tavern, 1227 Great Falls Highway.
Admission is $5 and proceeds benefit Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society.
Featured bands include A Few Shots Down, The Pam Taylor Band, Eight Oh Tree and Element. Dance music will be provided by DJ J Dub. There will also be a raffle for several prizes.

Robert Howeyrhowey@thelancasternews.com
Each spring, Donna White, with the help of her committee, turns a negative into a positive.
The date for that switch this year is April 14.
That’s when the sixth annual Run for Ryan, a Kleine-Levin Syndrome fundraiser and awareness event that includes the county track meet, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lancaster High School track.

Andrew Jackson State Park
Andrew Jackson State Park will host the annual Andrew Jackson Birthday Celebration 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 24. Take a stroll around the lawn to meet traditional crafters and re-enactors. Listen to the blasts of black powder guns during firing demonstrations by Revolutionary War re-enactors. See how everyday items now sold in retail stores were made by hand during President Andrew Jackson’s time.

University of South Carolina Lancaster
University of South Carolina Lancaster Diabetes Education Clinic, Carolina Literacy Network and the Catawba Lions Club are sponsoring a health screening for Diabetes Alert Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 27 at the Carole Ray Dowling Center on Hubbard Drive.
In 2011, the American Diabetes Association encouraged Americans to Join the Millions challenge and more than 600,000 people took the diabetes risk test.

Sherry Archie
For The Lancaster News
Thinking about doing some spring cleaning? As you clean up, why not go a step further and clean out? That’s what the volunteers at Family Promise of Lancaster hope you will do.
They are readily accepting donations of your gently used items from appliances to books for their third annual Giant Yard Sale and Bake Sale to be held April 20-21 at the American Legion Fairgrounds.

Staff reports
The Catawba Salkehatchie Camp is looking for residents in Indian Land and Fort Mill who need help with substantial home repairs June 16-23.
Since 1998, Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church has hosted 60 plus campers each summer for a work week that has helped more than 75 homeowners in Indian Land, Van Wyck and Fort Mill.
The camp invites referrals from local agencies, such as the Indian Land Council on Aging, S.C. Department of Social Services and the Fort Mill Care Center, as well as local churches and individual concerned citizens.

The city of Lancaster will celebrate the arrival of Spring on May 18 with the third Annual Red Rose Festival. The 2012 event includes an outdoor concert, arts, crafts, and Kids Zone from 5 to 10 p.m. on May 18 and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 19 in beautiful historic downtown Lancaster.
This year’s festival features more than 75 artisans, crafters, food vendors, as well as an A-list of nationally and locally known music artists.

By Michele Roberts
For The Lancaster News
Hard work, perseverance and effort are just a few words that describe Leanne Bailey.
Now, the Lancaster resident is garnering statewide accolades for her dedication to her job.
Bailey received the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Health Services Monthly Award of Excellence for February 2012.
Bailey is director of the Immunization division for the state Bureau of Disease Control.

By now, most New Year’s resolutions have fallen to the wayside.
I make them every year. This year, after much thought and soul searching, I decided to tackle the hardest resolution of them all: I’m reducing the sodium in my diet.
As far as resolutions go, it doesn’t have the popularity of “losing 10 pounds,” “paying off debt” or “reading the Bible through.”

Editor’s note: The Lancaster News is tracking the progress of Katie Stogner and Jeff Holden as they undertake the Island Sun Tanning and Fitness 12-week Challenge for 2012. Here is their second progress report. You can also follow their progress at stevelewisplan.com.Katie’s story
Four weeks down and I am so glad I did this. I have made some serious progress already, although I have a long way to go. I tend to be a little impatient, so to finally see some significant changes really helps me focus.

Talk show host David Letterman’s Top 10 lists are all for fun. However, when it comes to the arts in Lancaster, for us, it takes a different focus. Here are our 10 reasons to support the local arts and cultural presence in our community.

NASHVILLE – When Lancaster native Kassie Jordan hits the stage with her band, she knows immediately who the movers and shakers along Music Row are.

Hailed by one critic as “one of the hardest working girls in music around Nashville and a force to be reckoned with,” the 2000 Buford High School graduate just released her first CD, “Timing,” on Feb. 19.

Changing eating habits to adopt a healthier diet and lifestyle is challenging.

But it is worth the effort. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans. Paying close attention to what and how we eat can reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke. A heart-healthy diet can help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lower blood pressure and body weight.

A good detox can help you loose weight easily, boost your health points, shed up to 5 pounds a week safely and gain sound knowledge for lasting health. You can get that Jennifer Hudson look without counting the points.

Editor’s note: The Lancaster News is tracking the progress of Katie Stogner and Jeff Holden as they undertake the Island Sun Tanning and Fitness 12-week Challenge for 2012. Here are their first blogs. You can also follow their progress at stevelewisplan.com.

Katie’s story

It’s been two weeks and I still cannot believe I’m actually doing this in front of a camera.